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Nurses have been given free Costa Coffee vouchers as “bribes” to have the flu jab, a conference heard.

One delegate at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said they felt “co-erced” to have the vaccination, as they described efforts by NHS trusts to boost uptake.

At some organisations, just one in three staff had the jab, with one third of frontline health workers failing to get the vaccination overall.

Jeanette Jones, a pandemic flu lead from Bristol who promoted use of the vaccine, said her hospital trust had “managed to con Costa into giving us vouchers for free coffee and tea and things for our staff" who got the jab.

However, the nurse said such incentives “didn’t necessarily make a difference” saying staff had been put off by admissions that the vaccine had limited effectiveness.

NHS guidelines on improving flu vaccination rates suggest hospitals should consider “using staff incentives, such as entry into a prize draw on receiving a vaccination or referring a colleague”.

Previously NHS Wales has handed out shopping vouchers to “incentivise” staff to get the vaccine, while health chiefs in Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust reportedly offered an extra day off to staff taking up the jab in 2011.

Some nurses warned the RCN’s meeting in Belfast the jab was not suitable for all staff.

The flu jab is not for everybody and we need to be mindful of who we are giving it toLeslie Harrison, nurse

Leslie Harrison, a nurse from Dorset, developed sepsis when she had the flu jab after previously having chemotherapy, which compromises the immune system.

She said: “The flu jab is not for everybody and we need to be mindful of who we are giving it to… I had sepsis and I was very, very ill and it is only thanks to the team at Poole General that I am here today.”

Another delegate Jane-Elizabeth Tooke said she felt “co-erced” into having the jab even though she had previously had a serious reaction to vaccination.

A major flu pandemic posed the “greatest threat to the UK”, above terrorism and extreme weather events, the conference was told.

Nurses were instructed they should have the flu jab to protect patients, themselves and their families.

Rod Thomson, deputy president of the RCN and a professor of public health, said: “When you are thinking about the impact to your patients and your colleagues, keep in mind that this is the highest threat to the UK.”

Chief Nursing Officer for England, Professor Jane Cummings, said: “Healthcare workers can pass on flu to vulnerable patients without realising they are carrying the virus so there’s clearly a professional duty of care for nurses and all frontline staff to take up the free flu jabs the NHS provides, and it’s right for employers to encourage them to do so. Record numbers of frontline health and care workers opted to do the right thing and protect themselves, patients and their loved-ones from flu this winter by getting vaccinated.”